Santa Paula taxpayers have until April 18 to weigh in on a decision that changes the way they get and pay for fire service. It’s a nearly foregone conclusion that the city will disband its fire department and join the Ventura County Fire Protection District.

Not as clear is what it will cost them.

With the goal of improving service, getting better equipment and substantially higher pay and benefits, Santa Paula fire protection employees, with the support of the City Council, began pursuing coverage through the county.

The district is funded through property taxes, and the two sides agreed on Santa Paula turning over 79 percent of their portion to join.

Santa Paula is also expected to turn over buildings, land and millions in developer fees and equipment, as well as pay for residual pension, workers' compensation and other costs related to the employees who join the county department.

Costs remain speculative because halfway through the protest period, the memorandum of agreement spelling all that out has yet to be released.

“We are working through the process and once I have a good ETA, I’ll try to keep you in the loop,” Assistant City Manager Ikani Taumoepeau wrote in an email to The Star on Thursday. "Once the document is finalized, we will then post it for the public on the Council Agenda for approval.”

County Counsel Leroy Smith told The Star on Thursday he would check into where the document was in the process but as of Friday afternoon had not provided an update.

On Jan. 17, the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission’s board of directors approved the annexation of the city into the fire district. LAFCo oversees jurisdictional boundaries for the city and special districts.

The unanimous approval reversed the commissioners' 4-1-2 vote in November to wait until the MOA was finished. Linda Parks and John Zaragoza abstained in November after voting unsuccessfully for immediate approval.

Commissioners also wanted to give other affected cities time to understand what the merger could mean for them. The Thomas Fire, which started Dec. 4, delayed much of those talks.

At its meeting Monday, the Ventura City Council will get an update on the impact from Ventura Fire Chief David Endaya. The county plans to close a fire station not far from Ventura city limits, which is expected to affect city firefighting resources. Under mutual-aid response systems in the region, the closest available unit responds to calls for service. That likely means Ventura will respond to more calls, both on its east end and in unincorporated areas just outside the city.

At the January LAFCo meeting, Santa Paula City Council member Martín Hernandez urged commissioners to approve the annexation. He said he expected the memorandum of agreement to come out shortly.

“Given my best estimates that I’ve been given, probably within 30 days,” he told commissioners, turning to look at City Manager Michael Rock, according to a video of the meeting. “OK, got the nod from the city manager.”

Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen wasn’t as sure, telling commissioners he thought it could perhaps be ready by halfway through the protest period. That began Feb. 18.

Repeatedly through the process of disbanding its fire department, Santa Paula officials have said the MOA would be available before the LAFCo vote.

The protest hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 18 at the Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura. If no MOA is reached within a year of LAFCo's initial vote, the annexation approval expires.

LAFCo commissioners have made clear they support the move. The concern had been giving residents the opportunity to have as much information as possible before the protest period began.

Monday's City Council meeting in Ventura will start at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 501 Poli St.